He had fallen ill late last week and was taken to hospital, where he died surrounded by his wife Noreen and their family.

In a statement, the Dublin Legends said: “Eamonn was a true Legend and a brilliant guitar player. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife and family. He will be greatly missed by all his friends and fans around the world. We are heartbroken and we thank you all for your thoughts and prayers at this time.”

The music legend started his career over 50 years ago in his hometown of Drogheda, Co Louth and later became known as a guitarist for Dermot O’Brien and His Clubmen in the 1960s.

With the Clubmen, he shared a tour bill with the Dubliners, and became friends with the men during the nightly pub sessions after each performance.

In the podcast, A Real Dublin Legend he recalled: “We spent a month on tour and we became very friendly and we kept in touch. Myself and Luke (Kelly) used to drink in the same pub in Dublin and we became great drinking buddies, and myself and Ronnie (Drew) would meet a fair bit… I gave up the road and became a session musician and then I did arrangements and became a record producer.”

In 1973, he stepped away from the road and tried his hand at gigging in Irish bars in the USA before returning to work in the Gaiety Theatre.

And he even interviewed Daniel O’Donnell for a record company.

He said: “A man called Mick Clerkin, who had a record company called Ritz, he was Irish but they were based in England and he asked me if I’d go along and have a listen to Daniel and meet up with him.

“And so I did, and long before this programme The X Factor, I always had this thing about the x-factor and to me, Daniel O’Donnell had it. I couldn’t put my finger on it, I just knew this guy has something. I suppose they call it now charisma.”

As a session guitar player he worked on some of the biggest songs ever made in Ireland, including Paddy Reilly’s Field of Athenry.

Campbell introduced the Pogues to the band, which resulted in their iconic version of The Irish Rover, which sealed his place in the group.

Speaking about it, he said: “That was all my doing, yeah. I think it was around July 1986. Ronnie Drew and John Sheahan had asked me to produce an LP for their 25-year anniversary.

Eamonn Campbell, Andrea Corr, John Sheehan, Bono, Patsy Watchorn and Barney McKenna at a Late Late tribute to Ronnie Drew

“I was a freelance record-producer for years before I joined. I did a lot for Foster and Allen and Paddy Reilly, I did loads. I can’t even remember them all. When I suggested work with The Pogues, Ronnie’s reaction was ‘The Pogues?! What?!’ But, heck, it all worked out.”

The lads were known for their trad sessions and their Drunken Nights are legendary.

But they had quietened down a lot when he joined, following the deaths of two of their members.

Bobby Lynch was the first to pass away from the group in 1982 after taking his own life.

Founding member Luke Kelly died less than two years later aged just 43.

He had ill health due to alcohol but died from a brain tumour.

Ciaran Bourke had been sick for years following a brain aneurysm and died when he was just 53 in 1988.

The group later lost their iconic voice, Ronnie Drew to cancer in 2008, and later the deaths of Jim McCann and Barney McKenna signalled the end of the group- fifty years after they had formed.

When the band stopped touring together following the death of Barney in 2012, Eamonn joined several past members to form the Dublin Legends, using his motto: ‘It’s too late to stop now.’

In an interview in 2013, he said: “It’s a bit embarrassing being ‘a legend’, but I’m flattered. To me I’m just a guitar-player and I will always be a guitar-player. When people say ‘legend’, I think ‘I’m just me, going down the pub and having a pint’.”

Just last year, he was filmed singing the Auld Triangle outside Croke Park with fans, after Dublin beat Kerry for a place in the All-Ireland Football Final.

Singer of Dublin Legends, Sean Cannon, who replaced Luke Kelly in The Dubliners, said he is “devastated.”

Imelda May shared an image of the pair and said: “He was a true Dublin legend and a hero of mine since I can remember. Proud to know him.

“He gave me this photo of us not so long ago. Last time I saw him we had a good old trad session and lots of laughs. I’ll miss him. My love goes to Noreen, all his children, family, friends and of course his band mates at this time. RIP my Rock and Roll buddy. XXX”

Frances Black said: “I’m so sad to hear of the passing of the great Eamonn Campbell, a brilliant guitar player who played with the Dubliners for many years.”

The Wolfe Tones tweeted: Eamonn Campbell RIP, no better guitar player anywhere, our condolences to Eamonn’s family and friends.”

Banjo player with the Dublin Legends Gerry O’Connor said: “I have not come to terms with it yet. He was such a lovely guy. Always had a big smile on his face. He just adored playing live. He is a huge loss.”

Paul Watchorn added: “we always had such a good time in Europe. A little bit of sightseeing and then the concert. That’s what he loved most. Playing live. He was a real musicians’ musician and he always knew what the audience wanted to hear. Devastated.”

Footballer Paul McGrath also said: “There will be a good session in heaven tonight, RIP Eamonn #dubliners”

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